Monday, May 16, 2011

who'll stop the rain?

So the rain actually started on Saturday evening. it was pretty light for the most part, but it was really pouring at some points making the commute out to Cambridge kind of tricky.

Earlier on Saturday took the family out to our cousins for a birthday party. the girls had a fabulous time. Chloe had a blast playing with all the kids - her age and the older girls, of course. Delaney had a fantastic time too. I don't think she sat down for much longer than to eat her lunch and her piece of cake. this kid loves her some cake!

After the party Holly and I left with the baby, but we left Chloe with my parents so she could play a bit longer with her cousins and new friends. once we got home it was very obvious that Delaney was going to sleep very well through the night. I got my stuff together for the show and headed out.

I love my car, and love driving - especially while I can listen to some new music. gave the Tokyo Tramps CD a couple spins on the ride. great stuff, really dig that band a lot! had to stop for gas while venturing off the highway - then eventually caught the highway again. got to Cambridge a little later than expected - ended up parking in a questionable lot which had parking regulations that seemed a bit conveluded to say the least. luckily we didn't get towed away. as a matter of fact after the set I grapped a free parking upgrade right behind the club - BONUS!

So the show was awesome - in a nutshell. the opening band was a trio called "Sonny Jim and the Blue Devils" - they play some great tunes and have an interesting candor when on stage. they played some Howlin' Wolf which really enjoyed even after the made a self depricating joke about not doing it justice. still - it was great! the original tunes they played were fantastic too. the drummer played very light with some very be- bop inspired fills. I'd really like to get those guys in for a show in Northampton in the future.

The second band was kind of an odd choice for the bill. they didn't stick around much  after their set wrapped up. that being said - they were from California and heading back home, so can't really blame them for wanting to get back home.

We played a really fun set. ran through love thing, stone blues and nothing much matters in the world these days. we then played a newer song called "fool for you" which is a newer one for us. we also played a newer song called "16 floors" and am so glad we played it! I feel like we have been sitting on that song for way too long. the set was really high energy and the folks in the crowd really got into it. there were a number of folks taking pics - and am so anxiously awaiting seeing them. played Chad R's (drummer for the ten foot polecats) drum kit that night - what a beautiful set of drums! K Custom dark cymbals all around too. excuse me while I clean up from drooling!

The Ten Foot Polecats blew us all away, as we expexted they would. they rocked a burnside tune which pretty much made my night too! They played a few new tunes that were awesome and they closed out the set with "nobody's fault but mine" - very great tune which was very appropriate being that it was already Sunday morning at that point.

It was a great night - I got into bed at almost 5am and was awake not that long afterwards. we had a relaxing day around the house because the rain was still pouring outside. we had a good day - Chloe did a bang up job cleaning her room. Delaney was a little crankity crankerson all day though. still, was hanging in there until about 7PM after the baby was in bed. I was passing out in my chair. finally at 9:30 threw in the towel and went to bed. slept like a rock too!

This week it is supposed to be a total wash. my folks are planning a get together this weekend though which I'm looking forward to and hoping the rain is done by then.

time to get a practice session together for this week!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

this is the word of Bobby Roast Beef

watched some "whitest kids u know" last night before going to bed. that show is pretty funny despite having an occasional miss. I do think the earlier seasons are some of the best material however. I would consider posting a clip here to share, but my mom actually reads my blog - so that would just be wrong.

got some great news about having the band open for a very good touring act coming through the area. it isn't concrete just yet, so I'm holding back the details. I know that Damon is unbelievably excited about it.

I also found out that ZZ TOPP is playing in New England this summer. while the idea of going to the show is right up front in my mind - it just isn't in the cards for me to afford a pricey ticket. The idea of doing a little parking lot concert as a duo might be a good possibility.

So far this morning have had two people contact me for something TV related that had nothing to do with my job.I totally understand that nobody knows (except for a small handfull of people) at all what I actually do here at the TV station. but, to every family member, friend or acquaintance I am "the guy they know inside the TV station". I get and accept that. but have come to learn that when someone say's "so you still at 22?" - it usually means that they are about to ask me for something or complain. this is especially obnoxious when haven't had any communications with that person in forever. I have taken to responding to them with "what do you want" - just to cut to the chase a bit. I mean come on people - I know they routine and it's ok! just don't act like I'm the asshole for trying to be efficent in dealing with your needs and agenda. the fact they try to play like it was totally innocent and unprovoked of me to assume they want something if so fucking funny actually chuckle out loud.

That's really all have for now. perhaps I'll post a bit later!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

post rehearsal mid-week post.

There is a part of me that cannot believe it's already Wednesday. last week just dragged on at a snails pace. partially because was sick on Monday combined with the news of the assassination of OBL - the whole world seemed like it was on a different clock after that news.

The gigs last weekend and mothers day made the weekend fly by too!

We had one killer rehearsal session last night. the songs we went over for Saturday's show are nuts! it seems like Damon is consistently introducing new material into the mix. give him a lot of credit for wanting to keep it so fresh - but it's a challenge to keep all these songs in my mind. can see where it gets frustrating to have this constant flow of new songs to work out - but do like having a mix of stuff to play. it's especially helpful on those nights where we are playing 3 or 4 sets in a night.

I'm really excited to be playing with the polecats again. those guys make some insane music and are just really cool folks. I am hoping that can do another BCBM showcase in noho soon too. I have a short list of bands want to bring to town as soon can.

Have a picnic to attend with the family before leave for the gig. it's my cousin's 16th birthday party - and man does that make me feel like an old fart!

Oh well - time to take my geritol guess!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Cambridge Massachusetts,drum heads, summer time longing

Man - what a beautiful day out there. it's a little cool considering how sunny and clear  it it outside - but will take it! it's actually got me thinking of long summer days and the desire to barbecue while listening to or playing some good music!

A friend of mine responded to a Facebook status update made earlier about just that very thing. He's got a little event going in the background and the more think about this the more excited get about it. I'm not getting into details about it yet - because at this stage it's just in it's infancy. let's just say that this would make one hell of a deep blues party and we can leave it at that.

Like usual I'm extremely excited to gather with the band tonight to rehearse for Saturday's big gig in Cambridge. on the one hand it's awesome to be playing outside of our hometown. however, the fact that we are playing with The Ten Foot Polecats again just totally sweetens the deal! add to that the fact that we also have Sonny Jim and the Blue Devils on the bill just makes it even better.

In other news I'm back to using a BlackBerry again. I ordered a torch last week and I love the thing! I'm posting this from it right now as a matter of fact!

Lastly, I have finally gotten around to getting my drum heads changed - starting with my snare drums batter head. went with an Evans dry head - love the sounds I got out of that drum now. Tom toms are next!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

post japan benefit show details...

so the big event i had been working on for the last 8 weeks has come and gone. i have to start out by thanking all the bands on the bill for the great performances they graced the stage with. i want to start out by saying thank you to the bands. i genuinely feel as if i walked away from this show with a lot of 'fire' for the blues scene. just to be in the same room as these performers, sharing a stage - made me feel like i was very lucky!

Jook Joint blew they entire room away with the amazingly polished and slick arrangements. truth be told - they had my attention from the moment they had started sound check! a small contingency of my family was at the show and was very interested in Jook Joint's set.

we [Damon Reeves & The Love Thieves] played the second slot of the night - played a mix of tunes we have been playing regularly but snuck in two or three new tunes we had been working on. we had Andy Soles playing harp with us, adding some different flavor. it was nice and seemed well received by the folks in the audience.

Dynamite Johnny played the middle slot. i had been introduced to this band but Damon and had checked them out online - after seeing the performance i told D how much i could see what he dug so much about them. when they played "lock me up" (which they played on Mass Appeal earlier in the week) i was singing along with the chorus after only hearing the song one time - that's the sign of some good original music!

Wildcat O'halloran took the stage next with his band actually bringing the level of showmanship up to a completely other level. his interaction with the crowd during guitar solos absolutely broke the wall between the stage and the room. his use of guest vocals was amazing - providing a new element to the set and continuing to build on the entertainment value of the performance. This guy is the real deal! i confirmed this buy listening to his CD on the way home from the show. if you are from western mass and have not gone to see Wildcat do his thing on stage, well you owe yourself the chance to witness this live for yourself! i - for one am looking forward to playing more gigs with these guys in the future!

rounding the night out was Tokyo Tramps. before tonight my only actual exposure to the group was through word of mouth and watching the live vids on you-tube. seriously, this does not begin to do this trio any justice when compared to seeing them live. they played a couple songs then the drummer (who completely knocked my socks off to begin with) takes this solo that left me with my jaw on the floor. i'm not a big fan of over the top solos - i'm a groove guy, but this blew me away. the rest of the set was full of killer vocal harmonies, showmanship that would rival the biggest entertainer out there. i feel  that people who missed the show for whatever reason - had really missed out on an opportunity to see some really top notch artists in what i would consider one of the premier venues in our backyard - for an amazing cause.

at the end of the night we had done a good deed, made some new friends and learned a lot for future events. i'm really satisfied with how the show went down - i only wish that the crowd have been larger. that being said - these things are common in this business. all i can do is learn and grow from it!